System and method for handling simple ip to mobile ip transition

ABSTRACT

Methods are provided for transitioning between SIP and MIP. Mobile devices, upon detecting a new system, automatically attempt a MIP session to avoid the default position of SIP. A history is maintained of systems visited, and for systems that did not support MIP in the past, a MIP session is not attempted, but rather SIP is initiated from the start.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/929405filed Aug. 31, 2004, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE APPLICATION

The application relates to the provision of IP (Internet Protocol)connectivity to wireless devices, and in particular to transitionsbetween simple IP and mobile IP sessions.

BACKGROUND

There are two IP modes supported in a cdma2000® wireless IP network.These are the so-called simple IP (SIP) and mobile IP (MIP). Details ofCDMA wireless IP are provided in TIA IS-835. The standard is known inThird Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) as x.S0011. The mobile IPsection of the IS-835 standard refers in turn to the InternetEngineering Task Force (IETF) standard named RFC2002. Somecdma2000-based wireless IP networks support both MIP and SIP. Otherssupport only SIP or only MIP. Regardless of the operation mode, thenetwork and the mobile device establish and configure the point-to-pointprotocol (PPP) as described in RFC1661 to establish a packet datasession. An “always-on” mobile device always maintains PPP connectivityeven when it does not have radio link layer connectivity to the network.When the device or network does not have any data to send, the packetdata service on the mobile device enters a “dormant” state. The PPPconnectivity between the network and the device is maintained, but thephysical radio connection is torn down in such a state. Note thatcdma2000® is a registered trademark of the Telecommunications IndustryAssociation (TIA-USA).

In a SIP-based wireless IP network, mobile devices are assignedgeographically dependent IP addresses dynamically by the visited PacketData Serving Nodes (PDSN). As the mobile device moves it will beassigned a new geographically dependent IP address. If the mobile devicesupports any “push” applications such as Push e-mail, then it is theresponsibility of the mobile device to notify the associated pushservers whenever its IP address as assigned by the wireless networkchanges. In a SIP-based network, mobile devices may not know how longthe IP address is assigned for. The PDSN may tear down the PPP sessionand reassign the IP address to another mobile device if it has not heardfrom the mobile device upon the expiration of an assigned IP addressduration. A PDSN may unilaterally tear down the PPP session if themobile fails to respond to page messages while out of coverage even ifthe PPP session time has not expired. This will break push services asthe mobile device is no longer associated with the IP address that thepush servers are aware of. As a result, “Always-on” mobile devices in aSIP session need to send periodic “keep alive” packets to maintain PPPconnectivity.

In a mobile IP network, each mobile device is typically assigned astatic IP address by its home agent (HA) which is then maintained by themobile terminal regardless of its geographical point of attachment. Asthe mobile moves, it registers with a foreign agent (FA) which providesa care-of-address (COA). The home agent is informed of the mobiledevice's COA through the registration procedure. The foreign agentmaintains a binding of Home IP address to care-of-address. The homeagent receives packets for the terminal and forwards these to theforeign agent according to the care-of-address such that the mobiledevice remains reachable via its geographically-independent IP address.Because of this, a MIP terminal will always be reachable. The networknotifies the mobile of the duration of the address and as such themobile terminal will know the expiry time of assigned address. As longas the mobile device re-registers before this timer expires, the PPPconnectivity is maintained.

Mobile IP provides a number of other advantages over simple IP such asmultiple user profiles with different user ID/password etc. This allowsa single mobile device to have multiple user accounts. The IS-835standard only states that if a wireless terminal fails to establish amobile IP session, it should fall back to SIP mode to establish a SIPdata session. The standard does not state any mechanism how a “dormant”mobile device in a SIP session can establish a MIP session when itvisits a network that supports MIP.

For the purpose of illustration, shown in FIG. 1 is an example of acdma2000 wireless IP network as described in IS-835. There is a wirelesssimple IP network 10 and a wireless mobile IP network 12.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments will now be described with reference to theattached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example wireless IP network;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method of handling simple IP to mobile IPtransitions in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an example of a visited network list for use with theembodiment of FIGS. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an example block diagram of a mobile device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

According to a broad aspect, there is provided a method fortransitioning between a first wireless protocol having geographicallydependent addressing and a second wireless protocol havingnon-geographically dependent addressing, the method comprising: awireless device detecting a new system requiring reconnect of a packetdata service while in a state during which link layer connectivity ismaintained for a packet data service; at least a first time the wirelessdevice detects the new system, the wireless device attempting toestablish a session using the second wireless protocol with the newsystem; and if the session using the second wireless protocol isestablished, the wireless device terminating use of the first wirelessprotocol thereby transitioning to the second wireless protocol.

According to another broad aspect, there is provided a non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium having computer executable instructionsstored thereon for execution on a processor of a wireless device so asto implement a method comprising: the wireless device detecting a newsystem requiring reconnect of a packet data service while in a stateduring which link layer connectivity is maintained for a packet dataservice; at least a first time the wireless device detects the newsystem, the wireless device attempting to establish a session using thesecond wireless protocol with the new system; and if the session usingthe second wireless protocol is established, the wireless deviceterminating use of the first wireless protocol thereby transitioning tothe second wireless protocol.

According to another broad aspect, there is provided a wireless deviceconfigured for transitioning between a first wireless protocol havinggeographically dependent addressing and a second wireless protocolhaving non-geographically dependent addressing, the wireless devicecomprising: a transceiver configured to communicate with wirelessnetworks; a processor; and a network determination component configuredto implement a method comprising: detecting a new system requiringreconnect of a packet data service while in a state during which linklayer connectivity is maintained for a packet data service; at least afirst time the new system is detected, attempting to establish a sessionusing the second wireless protocol with the new system; and if thesession using the second wireless protocol is established, terminatinguse of the first wireless protocol thereby transitioning to the secondwireless protocol.

Other aspects and features of the present disclosure will becomeapparent, to those ordinarily skilled in the art, upon review of thefollowing description of the specific embodiments. It should beunderstood at the outset that although illustrative implementations ofone or more embodiments of the present disclosure are provided below,the disclosed systems and/or methods may be implemented using any numberof techniques, whether currently known or in existence. The disclosureshould in no way be limited to the illustrative implementations,drawings, and techniques illustrated below, including the exemplarydesigns and implementations illustrated and described herein, but may bemodified within the scope of the appended claims along with their fullscope of equivalents.

The TIA/EIA IS-835 standard does not specify how or whether a mobilestation with a SIP session should check for availability of a MIPnetwork. An example of the necessity for such a feature would be thecase when a MIP-capable mobile device with a dormant packet data service(e.g. an always-on mobile device) comes back to its home MIP networkafter it was forced to establish a SIP session on a roaming SIP network.Attempting to establish a MIP session for every data call initiation isnot applicable to an “always-on” device which maintains dataconnectivity all the time. As a result, an “always-on” wireless terminalmay get stuck in SIP mode until a power cycle (when the radio on thedevice is powered off and turned back on).

With MIP, there is a foreign agent in the network being visited by awireless terminal and a home agent on the wireless terminal's homenetwork. The home agent receives packets for the terminal and forwardsthese to the foreign agent. The foreign agent checks the home address toCOA mapping, and forwards the packets to the wireless terminal uponreceipt.

Typically, on a visited network, a PDSN will send a list of differentavailable COAs together with an indication that it is available tofunction as a foreign agent. This is a so-called “agent advertisement”message. This message is sent after the PPP between the device and thenetwork is set up. The wireless terminal then initiates the MIPregistration process by sending a Registration Request message to theforeign agent which includes a selected COA, a home agent address, homeIP address and some parameters required for authentication. Once themobile device is authenticated, the foreign agent sends the MIPRegistration Request to the home agent. The home agent responds with aRegistration Response message that includes a registration life time andother parameters such as home IP address (if it has not been assignedalready). Then, the home and foreign agents establish a tunnel so thatthe mobile device can be reached by its home IP address.

As per cdma2000 packet data standard (TIA IS-707), a dormant wirelessterminal with a PPP (point-to-point protocol) connection is required to“re-connect” its packet data service whenever it detects a change innetwork parameters such as system ID (SID), network ID (NID) or packetzone ID. In accordance with an embodiment of the application, aMIP-capable mobile device attempts to discover whether a new network towhich it is trying to reconnect its dormant packet data session supportsMIP or not. It may send an ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol)Agent solicitation message as part of the re-connect process which doesnot require any extra data call set-up. In response to this, if thenetwork supports mobile IP, then the network sends an ICMP agentadvertisement message even if the wireless terminal is currently in SIPmode. Note the ICMP protocol is common to both SIP and MIP stacks.

In accordance with one embodiment, each wireless terminal maintains avisited network list (VNL) to keep track of some number of visitednetworks in terms of whether or not MIP was supported and granted duringthe last visit. The agent solicitation trigger may be partially based onthe existing information in the VNL. Advantageously, this may reduceblind attempts to establish MIP sessions where they are not possible.Preferably, the VNL is updated every time the wireless terminal decidesto solicit agent advertisement.

Referring now to FIG. 2, shown is a detailed flowchart of a method ofhandling simple IP to mobile IP transitions in accordance with anembodiment of the application. The method begins at step 2-1 with thesession type being SIP and the device operational mode being MIP withSIP fall back. The packet data session state is dormant. At step 2-2,the mobile terminal detects that it has entered a new system requiringre-connect of the packet data service. This is detected by determiningthat there has been a change in one or more of the system parameterssuch as the system ID, network ID or packet zone ID to name a fewexamples.

At step 2-3, the mobile terminal examines its VNL to determine if thenew system is in the list. If it is not in the list (no path step 2-3)then at step 2-4 a SIP re-connect request is initiated. If a trafficchannel is assigned (yes path step 2-5) then the mobile terminal sendsan ICMP agent solicitation message prior to call end and starts a timer.If no traffic channel has been assigned (no path step 2-5) then at step2-6 the mobile terminal either initiates a new call, or during the nextcall sends an ICMP agent solicitation message and starts a timer. Then,after either step 2-11 or 2-6, if at step 2-7 an agent advertisement wasnot received during the call then MIP mode is not available, and thecurrent system is added to the VNL with the access type “MIP notsupported” at step 2-8. Note a “call” refers to any origination, forexample a voice call. “Connection” on the other hand refers to PPPconnectivity or the like.

On the other hand, if a MIP advertisement was received during the call(yes path step 2-7) then the SIP session is terminated at step 2-12. AMIP session set-up is initiated at step 2-13. If the Internet ProtocolControl Protocol (IPCP) is configured as MIP as described in IS-835 (yespath step 2-14), then MIP registration is initiated at step 2-20. If MIPregistration was successful (yes path step 2-21) then the current systemis added to the VNL with the access attribute indicating “MIP granted”at step 2-29. At this point, the current session type is MIP and thepacket data status is dormant as indicated at step 2-30. On the otherhand, if the IPCP was not configured as MIP (no path step 2-14) then thecurrent system is added to the VNL with an access attribute indicating“MIP not supported”. At this point the terminal falls back to SIP modeand attempts to re-establish a SIP session at step 2-23. Similarly, ifMIP registration was not successful (no path step 2-21) then the currentsystem is also added to the VNL with the access attribute “MIP notgranted” at step 2-22 and the mobile terminal falls back into SIP modeand re-establishes a SIP session at step 2-23. The distinction betweenstep 2-15 and step 2-22 is that in step 2-15 MIP was not supportedwhereas in step 2-22 MIP was supported but MIP was not granted for theparticular access attempt.

Returning now to step 2-3, if the new system is included in the VNL (yespath) then the VNL can be used to determine whether the system allowed aMIP session earlier. If the system did not allow a MIP session earlier(no path step 2-9) then packet data service re-connection is performedat step 2-10 and the mobile terminal stays in SIP mode. On the otherhand, if the VNL indicates that the system did allow MIP session earlier(yes path step 2-9) then at step 2-16 the mobile terminates the SIPsession. The mobile terminal initiates a MIP session set-up at step2-17. If the IPCP is configured successfully as MIP as described IS-835(yes path step 2-18) then the mobile terminal attempts to initiate MIPregistration at step 2-24. If MIP registration was successful (yes pathstep 2-25) then the current session type is MIP and the packet datastatus is dormant as indicated at step 2-28. On the other hand, if MIPregistration was unsuccessful (no path step 2-25) then the mobileterminal updates the system information and the VNL to indicate that theaccess attribute is “MIP not granted” at step 2-26. Also, if the IPCP isnot configured as MIP (no path step 2-18), then the system informationis updated in the VNL with the access attribute “MIP not supported”.After either of steps 2-19 or 2-26 the mobile terminal falls back to SIPmode and attempts to re-establish a SIP session at step 2-27.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the above discussed VNL. The VNL has a numberof rows for various systems. Each network has a number of networkidentifying parameters. In the illustrated example these include systemID 100, network ID 102 and packet zone ID 104. However, it may be thatin other implementations a subset of these three parameters or differentnetwork identifying parameters may be used. Whenever there is a changein any of the three parameters, the mobile terminal can make thedetermination that it may be possible to transition from SIP to MIP. Theaccess attribute for the network identified by the network identifyingparameters is listed in column 106. The three possible access attributesin the embodiment described above are “MIP not granted”, “MIP granted”,and “MIP not supported”. In the illustrated example there are L systems,and the attribute “MIP not granted” is indicated for System No. 1, theattribute “MIP granted” is indicated for System No. 2 and System No. L,and the attribute “MIP not supported” is indicated for System No. k.Also shown in column 108 is a field for a so-called “attribute timer”.In the illustrated example, System Nos. 1, k and L all have timers T1,Tk and TL respectively. These timers are used to indicate how long theaccess attribute is to be considered valid. Once the attribute timerexpires for a given system, it becomes as if the system is not includedin the VNL. It is not necessary to run a timer for the systems having a“MIP granted” access attribute.

The timer can be implemented in any suitable manner, the only importantfeature being that after some time, the mobile will again considerre-attempting MIP even though previously it had failed to establish MIPin a given network.

The VNL is preferably maintained in the mobile terminal in memory. Whileit may be desirable that the memory be non-volatile memory, this is notessential since if the mobile terminal undergoes a power cycle it willattempt to establish an initial connection in MIP mode and will build upthe VNL from scratch again. Similarly, if the wireless component ofPDA-type mobile device is turned off, VNL may be erased. Furthermore,while the VNL shown is used in some embodiments, more generally MIPsupport information is stored in any suitable fashion indicating foreach system at least whether or not a MIP session was successfullyestablished or not. In the above example, “MIP not granted” and “MIP notsupported” both indicate a failure to establish a MIP session.

In another embodiment, no MIP support information is maintained in anyform, and the wireless device attempts MIP every time a new system isdetected.

Referring to FIG. 4, shown is an example block diagram of a wirelessterminal that may be adapted to implement the method of FIGS. 2 and 3.This is a very specific layout for a wireless terminal and it is to beunderstood that the application is not limited to this particulardevice. The device has a microprocessor 200 to which is connectedauxiliary I/O 202, serial port 204, keyboard 206, speaker 208 andmicrophone 210. Short range communications functions are indicated at212 and other device subsystems at 214. A battery interface is indicatedat 216 and the battery itself at 218. The microprocessor 200 isconnected to transceiver 220 which has a receiver 222 and transmitter224 driven by local oscillators 226. A DSP 228 is shown in communicationwith both the receiver 222 and the transmitter 224. Also shown is adisplay 230 and an interface 232 to a User Identity Module (UIM) 234.Finally, shown is a memory 236 within which is stored the VNL 238 whichmight take the form of the VNL shown in FIG. 3 by way of example.

The functionality of the mobile device for communications purposes canbe broken down using the OSI protocol stack. This is indicated generallyat 250 which shows the application layer 252 on top below which islocated the UDP/TCP layer 254, the Internet protocol/ICMP protocol 256,the link control protocol/IP control protocol (IPCP) 258, the radio linkprotocol (RLP) 260 and finally the physical layer 262. Preferably, thefunctionality which decides whether or not to attempt to set up a MIPsession versus a SIP session, as described above with reference to FIGS.2 and 3, is implemented as part of the network determination componentof physical layer software running on the mobile terminal. However, itis to be understood that more generally the functionality could beimplemented in any appropriate manner on a wireless terminal and notlimited to the physical layer 262.

The embodiments described above have focussed on transitioning betweenSIP and MIP. More generally, other embodiments are applicable fortransitioning between a first wireless protocol having geographicallydependent addressing and a second wireless protocol havingnon-geographically dependent addressing while in a state during whichlink layer connectivity (e.g. PPP) is maintained for a packet dataservice but a radio link has been torn down, the Dormant state being anexample of this. In some embodiments, the first and second wirelessprotocols are IP protocols. Particular examples of these IP protocolsare SIP and MIP respectively. For some IP implementations, the linklayer connectivity may be PPP or PPP-like connectivity. Otherimplementations may feature different link layer functionality.

In yet another embodiment, the method is applicable when the wirelessdevice is involved in active communications for the packet data service,i.e. the device is not dormant, so the link layer connectivity ispresent, and the radio link is not torn down. For example, a handoff mayoccur from a network allowing only SIP to a network allowing MIP, andthe method can be employed to detect the MIP capability and tore-establish the session as a MIP session.

Another embodiment provides a computer readable medium having computerexecutable instruction stored thereon for instructing a wireless deviceto implement any of the methods described herein.

Numerous modifications and variations of the present application arepossible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims, the applicationmay be practised otherwise than as specifically described herein.

1. A method for transitioning between a first wireless protocol havinggeographically dependent addressing and a second wireless protocolhaving non-geographically dependent addressing, the method comprising: awireless device detecting a new system requiring reconnect of a packetdata service while in a state during which link layer connectivity ismaintained for a packet data service; at least a first time the wirelessdevice detects the new system, the wireless device attempting toestablish a session using the second wireless protocol with the newsystem; and if the session using the second wireless protocol isestablished, the wireless device terminating use of the first wirelessprotocol thereby transitioning to the second wireless protocol.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the method is executed only if the wirelessdevice is in state during which link layer connectivity for a packetdata service is maintained and a radio link has been torn down.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first and second wireless protocolscomprise a first wireless IP protocol and a second wireless IP protocolrespectively.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first wirelessprotocol comprises SIP (Simple IP) and the second wireless protocolcomprises MIP (Mobile IP).
 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:the wireless device storing MIP support information for each new systemdetected, the MIP support information indicating whether or not a MIPsession was established; upon the wireless device detecting a new systemrequiring reconnect of a packet data service: a) the wireless devicechecking to see if MIP support information was previously stored inrespect of the new system; b) if there is MIP support informationindicating a MIP session was established during a previous visit to thenew system, the wireless device attempting to establish a MIP sessionwith the new system; and c) if there is MIP support informationindicating a MIP session was not established during a previous visit tothe new system, the wireless device attempting to establish a SIPsession with the new system.
 6. The method of claim 5, furthercomprising, if there is no MIP support information stored for the newsystem: initiating a SIP reconnect request to establish a SIP session;transmitting an unsolicited agent solicitation; if a MIP agentadvertisement is received in response to the unsolicited agentsolicitation, terminating the SIP session and initiating a MIP session;and adding a record in respect of the new system to indicate whether ornot a MIP session was established.
 7. The method of claim 6, furthercomprising: transmitting the unsolicited agent solicitation message on atraffic channel assigned as a result of the SIP reconnection.
 8. Themethod of claim 6, further comprising: initiating a new call to set up atraffic channel, and transmitting the unsolicited agent solicitationmessage on the traffic channel.
 9. The method of claim 6, furthercomprising: waiting until a new call is initiated that results in a newtraffic channel being set up, and transmitting the unsolicited agentsolicitation message on the traffic channel.
 10. The method of claim 6,further comprising: if IPCP (Internet Protocol Control Protocol) is notconfigured as MIP upon initiating the MIP session, falling back to SIPmode and making the MIP support information indicate that MIP was notsupported, and falling back to SIP mode; and if IPCP is configured asMIP upon initiating the MIP session, and MIP registration is notsuccessful, making the MIP support information indicate that MIP was notgranted, and falling back to SIP mode.
 11. The method of claim 1,further comprising: detecting a new system by detecting a change in oneor more network identifying parameters.
 12. The method of claim 3,further comprising: putting a time limit on the validity of the MIPsupport information for each system stored by the wireless device.
 13. Anon-transitory computer readable storage medium having computerexecutable instructions stored thereon for execution on a processor of awireless device so as to implement a method comprising: the wirelessdevice detecting a new system requiring reconnect of a packet dataservice while in a state during which link layer connectivity ismaintained for a packet data service; at least a first time the wirelessdevice detects the new system, the wireless device attempting toestablish a session using the second wireless protocol with the newsystem; and if the session using the second wireless protocol isestablished, the wireless device terminating use of the first wirelessprotocol thereby transitioning to the second wireless protocol.
 14. Awireless device configured for transitioning between a first wirelessprotocol having geographically dependent addressing and a secondwireless protocol having non-geographically dependent addressing, thewireless device comprising: a transceiver configured to communicate withwireless networks; a processor; and a network determination componentconfigured to implement a method comprising: detecting a new systemrequiring reconnect of a packet data service while in a state duringwhich link layer connectivity is maintained for a packet data service;at least a first time the new system is detected, attempting toestablish a session using the second wireless protocol with the newsystem; and if the session using the second wireless protocol isestablished, terminating use of the first wireless protocol therebytransitioning to the second wireless protocol.
 15. The wireless deviceof claim 14, wherein the network determination component executes themethod only if the wireless device is in state during which link layerconnectivity for a packet data service is maintained and a radio linkhas been torn down.
 16. The wireless device of claim 14 wherein thefirst and second wireless protocols comprise a first wireless IPprotocol and a second wireless IP protocol respectively.
 17. Thewireless device of claim 16 wherein the first wireless protocolcomprises SIP (simple IP) and the second wireless protocol comprises MIP(mobile IP).
 18. The wireless device of claim 17, further comprising: amemory storing MIP support information for each new system detected, theMIP support information indicating whether or not a MIP session wasestablished; wherein the network determination component is configured,upon the wireless device detecting a new system requiring reconnect of apacket data service, for: a) checking to see if MIP support informationwas previously stored in respect of the new system; b) if there is MIPsupport information indicating a MIP session was established during aprevious visit to the new system, attempting to establish a MIP sessionwith the new system; and c) if there is MIP support informationindicating a MIP session was not established during a previous visit tothe new system, attempting to establish a SIP session with the newsystem.
 19. The wireless device of claim 18, wherein the networkdetermination component is configured, if there is no MIP supportinformation stored for the new system, for: initiating a SIP reconnectrequest to establish a SIP session; transmitting an unsolicited agentsolicitation; if a MIP agent advertisement is received in response tothe unsolicited agent solicitation, terminating the SIP session andinitiating a MIP session; and adding a record in respect of the newsystem to indicate whether or not a MIP session was established.
 20. Thewireless device of claim 19, wherein the network determination componentis configured for: transmitting the unsolicited agent solicitationmessage on a traffic channel assigned as a result of the SIPreconnection.